Make provision for the welfare, care and assistance of deafblind persons.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Welfare arrangements for deafblind persons.

1. In section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948, after "persons aged eighteen or over who are" insert "deafblind,".

(d) any other enactment relating to the assessment of health and social needs,

the authority shall also (without prejudice to any assessment of other needs) assess and specify the need for deafblind link services.

(2) Where any assessment is made under subsection (1) the authority shall forthwith in consultation with the deafblind person make or cause to be made arrangements necessary to provide the deafblind link services specified in the assessment.

"deafblind" means a severe degree of combined visual and hearing impairment which results in problems with communication, access to information and mobility,

"deafblind link service" means the provision for deafblind persons of one-to-one support workers of a description prescribed by regulations who enable a deafblind person to communicate with other people, to access information and to travel and move about in different locations, and

"regulations" means regulations made by the Secretary of State and contained in a statutory instrument which shall be laid before each House of Parliament and subject to annulment pursuant to a resolution of either House,

and any reference to a deafblind person or a deafblind link service contained in any enactment shall be construed accordingly.

Short title, commencement and extent.

6. - (1) This Act may be cited as the Deafblind Persons Act 2000.

(2) Sections 1 to 5 of this Act shall come into force at the end of a period of three months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed.